Does a Maximum Left Ventricular Thickness Greater than 30 mm Identify Patients with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy at Risk of Sudden Death?

Abstract

Despite very significant advances in the understanding of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), the identification of patients at high risk of sudden death remains challenging [1, 2]. The possibility of achieving primary prevention of sudden death following the introduction of the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator in clinical practice has further highlighted the need for reliable indicators of risk. Unfortunately, all markers of risk identified to date have shown a disappointingly low positive predictive value [2].